Tag Archives: Who service solar geysers?

Owners of Leisure Pools in Somerset West are going solar

Installing a solar geyser system at the house of Jacques and Miranda Storm, the second generation owners of Leisure Pools in Somerset West is such a privilege. Their company has been in business for 35 years already! This well-known and much-loved family business in the Helderberg basin is committed to changing from using coal-based energy (electricity) towards renewable energy.

Solar Juice has been a client of Leisure Pools in Somerset West for a number of years. We find it very convenient to have their shop nearby in case we need parts for our pool heating installations. We love to refer clients with a leaking pool or who need any pool services/equipment/consumables to them. Their friendly and knowledgeable support is of such great value to contractors as well as homeowners for DIY projects.

Whenever we visit their shop it is heart-warming to see the interaction between the team members (including owners) as well as their interaction with both new and longstanding clients. We saw the following on their website and can definitely attest to it.

Having been in the swimming pool business since 1985, our knowledge and understanding of the climatic conditions that affect your pool are substantial.

Everyone values good service at a reasonable rate, and here at the PoolShop in Somerset West, we are no different.

Leisure Pools’ service offerings:

- Relining of swimming pools, ponds and jacuzzi’s (marble lite and fiberglass);
- Install, service and repair pumps, filters and pool cleaners with an in-house pump mechanic;
- Stock spares for your DIY projects;
- Stock salt chlorinators;
- Electrical fault repairs;
- Stockists of all pool equipment and chemicals;
- Leak detection specialist *1;
- Water testing and balancing either on-site or at the shop;
- Test borehole water for iron and copper (before using it for the swimming pool)
- Also noted to be a valuable Trade and Wholesale supplier *2

*1 Leak detection specialist: Leisure pools Somerset West acquired the specialised equipment and training in France to ensure an efficient leak detection service for swimming pools.

*2 Also noted to be a valuable Trade and Wholesale supplier with excellent prices for contractors with regards to the Fluidra/Waterlinx range of products (pumps, fittings, chemicals).

Service Area:

- Helderberg and Stellenbosch (please call if unsure).
- Contractors in other parts of the country also send couriers to Somerset West to collect due to their excellent Trade and Wholesale prices and knowledgeable support.

How to make contact with Leisure Pools in Somerset West:

You can contact Jacques Storm or any of his friendly staff at T: 021 851 6325

Address: 6B Dirkie Uys Road, Somerset West opposite the Mini Market parking.

Website: https://leisurepoolsswest.co.za/ where you will find the prices of their products.

Jacques and Miranda are taking their first step to move from a coal-based solution to a solar-based / renewable energy solution.

Solar geyser installation in Strand by Solar Juice

Jacques and Miranda’s solar water heating system is a natural flow (thermosiphon) system, where the geyser is located higher than the panel and therefore requires no pump(s). We installed electrical backup with a Geyserwise geyser controller which they use to manage their electricity consumption as well as when they need hot water during times when the sun is not shining, for example, all the hot water was used at night and electricity is required to heat it for the early morning showers.

Geyserwise timer device

Geyserwise geyser controller – you set times when you want to heat your geyser water with electricity – it shows the temperature, of the water in the geyser, as well as other very handy information.

Monthly savings: An electrical geyser contributes between 39 to 60% towards a household’s electricity bill as the geyser is the most energy-hungry appliance in your house and this translates to between R400 – R600 of every R1000 on your electrical bill. The investment in a solar water heater (geyser) system is one of the best investments since you save considerably on your monthly electricity bill and it reduces air pollution (95% of electricity is generated by burning coal). Electricity load shedding won’t bother Jacques and Marinda after a long day at work as they will be able to relax with a hot shower.

Note from Jacques (a month after the installation):

“It is the best investment we have made. We can already see lower electricity usage during mid-winter where we saved a R1000 during our first month and are looking forward to seeing the savings during the warmer months.”

For more information about this installation:

You can call Leon from Solar Juice at C: 083 384 3840

Web: https://solarjuice.co.za/request-quote/

Solar Juice’s services include the installation of:

- Solar geyser systems … more info
- Provide you with a PIRB COC (certificate of Compliance) for our installed solar geyser system
- Replacement of burst geysers (both electrical and solar) with a report for insurance
- heat pumps… more info
- swimming pool heating ….more info
- Solar power (photovoltaic systems – on-grid or off-grid)

We also service the following:

- Solar geyser systems
- ITS heat pumps,
- Pool heating.

To request a service or quote from Solar Juice:

Kindly visit https://solarjuice.co.za/request-quote/ or email: Leon.Needham@solarjuice.co.za or call 083 384 3840

Solar Juice: Service area

Western Cape (Cape Town, Somerset West, Strand, Gordons Bay, Kleinmond, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek, Malmesbury,…) Please ask if unsure.

Retrofit electric geyser to solar

Retrofit electrical Kwikot geyser with solar

We were contacted by a family in Durbanville to provide them with a quote for: Retrofit electric geyser to solar.

It helps to timeously empower our client with the correct information:

During the onsite evaluation we noticed that certain standards needed to be implemented and that the geyser was also faulty. When discussing with the owner, he confirmed that the hot water from their geyser was brown although the water running from the cold tap was clear. We checked with the geyser supplier, Kwikot, who confirmed that the geyser was still under warrantee. As standards change over time the galvanized drip tray needed to be replaced by a plastic drip tray and a stopcock needed to be installed.

We provided our client with the abovementioned information and Kwikot therefore came prepared to replace the geyser, install the stopcock & the correct drip tray & outlet. This was done in a very short timeframe. Please note that the initial installation was not done by Kwikot or ourselves. Kwikot did the abovementioned work as part of honouring their geyser warrantee as the supplier.

Our client then accepted our quotation to retrofit their new Kwikot electrical geyser with solar.

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Service a solar geyser system…yes or no?

This article is about a *natural flow solar geyser system with a flat panel (as in the picture) which we serviced recently. The question is to: Service a solar geyser system…yes or no?

*natural flow = thermosiphon (it is where the geyser is located higher than the solar water panel and no pump is required to circulate the water between the geyser and the panel).

After a few years of working hard to harness the sun’s energy to heat your geyser water, various factors may play a role in the continued efficiency of your solar geyser system:

The environment and man may have an impact on the need for a service over time.

The sun/birds/squirrels may be working away at the *lagging around the water pipes on the roof; * lagging is insulation material which limits heat loss.
We sometimes find that squirrels and/or rats enter the roof space and damage the Geyserwise controller wires and or lagging within the roof;
Dust and other material may collect on the surface of the panel(s) and impact on the absorbtion of the sun’s heat energy;
Another factor may be that repairs to the municipal water network may result in debris moving into your solar water panels and impact its efficiency;
Just after the installation, the new owners are usually very excited to experment with the different options on the timer and over time they forget and then the settings don’t really suit their needs anymore due to changed circumstances in their household;
Maintenance work at the house may result in someone stepping on parts of the solar geyser pipework or other parts and damage occurs;
Smaller parts (element, timer, pressure control valve, etc.) may be or become faulty, although we stick to trusted parts from reliable suppliers.

We find that the service requirements differ from area to area due to the weather and environmental differences. We therefore propose a basic service for our existing clients in order to keep the expenses as low as possible. If we find that e.g. the lagging need to be replaced, we then first discuss it with the client and get his/her approval to replace it. The basic service has a fixed cost (if we have to travel quite a distance, we will then discuss additional fuel cost with the client beforehand).

This is a solar geyser system we installed almost 5 years ago.

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